New report reveals hedgehogs, yellowhammers and dragonflies at risk post-EU Exit - The Wildlife Trusts with RSPB & WWF
New report reveals that there are no clear plans on how regulation gaps will be plugged to protect nature.
A new report published today (3/2/2020) - commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB and WWF - highlights big gaps in environmental protections post-EU Exit and argues that a new system of regulation is needed to maintain and improve farming and environmental standards.
The Agriculture Bill, which will be debated in the House of Commons on Monday 3rd February, presents a welcome transformative vision for agriculture in which payments will be made to farmers to tackle the climate and nature crisis. However, it misses the need to improve the way Government will ensure farmers meet minimum environmental standards post-EU Exit. This puts the natural world – from hedgerows and soils, to ponds and the wildlife that depends on them, at risk.
The three wildlife charities are calling on the Government to close the gaps in regulation and include a power in the Agriculture Bill to introduce and enforce a new regulatory framework for agriculture which addresses the gaps.
Risks and opportunities of a post-EU environmental regulatory regime for agriculture in England, the new report by the Institute of European Environmental Policy (IEEP), examines the risks to nature of losing the current conditions that are attached to farming support. It also reveals the gaps in domestic legislation which need filling. Without additional legislation, we stand to lose regulations which ensure that:
- Hedgerows are not cut during the bird nesting season, protecting birds like yellowhammers and small mammals such as hedgehogs
- Wild ‘buffer’ strips alongside hedgerows are not ploughed or sprayed with pesticides, protecting bees and other pollinating insects
- Bare soils are protected from blowing away or draining into rivers, preserving our ability to grow crops in future and locking in carbon
- Ponds are safeguarded, providing important stepping-stones for wildlife including frogs and dragonflies
Read the report in full: Risks and opportunities of a post-EU environmental regulatory regime for agriculture in England, (PDF)